Evaluation of Smallholder Farmers’ Awareness of Cattle Diseases in Svay Rieng and Prey Veng Provinces, Cambodia

In Cambodia, cattle are used as draught power, sources of fertilizer, sources of assets, and for meat production. Due to some contagious illnesses such as hemorrhagic septicemia and foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), they mostly have low reproductivity and poor physical health. Among those diseases, brucellosis is starting to appear in cattle production in rural Cambodia and is highly transmissible to humans. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the farmers’ awareness of cattle diseases and their transmissibility in the country. A survey was conducted in two provinces, Svay Rieng and Prey Veng, in Cambodia, starting from July 2021 to January 2022. A sample size of 216 was randomly selected from the two provinces by using Taro Yamane, and the selection criteria were that the targeted households must have at least two cows. A pre-determined questionnaire was utilized to collect data on number of cattle, raising type, feeding system, source of cattle purchase, hygienic condition, waste management, cattle disease, body score condition and symptoms. As a result, 86% of the respondents in Prey Veng province and 99.07% in Svay Rieng province have cattle disease. Smallholder farmers raise 5 to 10 cattle per household, while other farmers raise 10 to 15 calves, or 15-20 or more than 20 heads, while only 20% of smallholder farmers in Prey Veng were able to raise 5 to 10 male cattle per household. Of all the interviewees, 90% recognized FMD based on clinical signs such as blisters on the feet, loss of appetite, salivation and painful, red, blister-like lesions on the tongue. Meanwhile, 60% know lumpy skin disease (LSD) due to skin nodules. No one knew about brucellosis. The findings suggest that the knowledge farmers have over cattle disease is very limited and this needs more support from related institutions to raise their awareness in order to cope with cattle disease correctly and timely.